Apparatus for compacting and ejecting flanged articles by single plunger action



R. B. WlLLl Feb. 4, 1958 2,821,748

APPARATUS FOR COMPACTING AND EJECTING FLANGED ARTICLES BY SINGLE PLUNGER ACTION.

Filed May 8, 1953 I 2 shet s sheet' 1 OPERA TING PRESSURE 8 TOP PRESSURE CUSHION CONS TANT INVENTbR.

RICHARD a. W/LL/ 2 G. I. F

1 Feb 4, 195s APPARATUS FOR ARTICLES Filed May s, 1953 ACTI OPERA 7' [N6 PRESSURE 'suPPLr YIIIIIIIII III IIIIIIII R. B. WlLLl 2,8 PACTING AND CTING FLANGED SINGLE PLUN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VENTOR RICHARD 5. W/LLI United States Patent 2,821,748 patented Feb; 4, 1958 tween the dualconcent 'ric plnngers afa time when only simulta'neous eject-ion movementshould bexpresent :It is airobjectof mlyinveirtior'r tozzprovirle irnproved Tipressing' apparatus"that -liminates th'hiazards er du'a-l :plrr-nger ejection by employing-asing-le kph-Inger fer effect- "tively ejecting :theformed-article" from its die without r the possibility of brealcing= the flange d'nrifig the ejctioh operation;

A still further object is' touprovide an improved press -wi th a singleiplrmge'r for efieetively ahd'safely ejectin'g aformd article from its die "and that is relatively sirrrple and economical in construction; operation "and mainte trance and which has 'a high degree "of. precisibn fol" for-tn- -irrg-the -;ar tiele 'but doesnot-requirepreeision operating mechanism for-theejection.

Other objects and advantages will be more "apparent to those skilled in-the ;-ar-t from the following description -of the accompanying drawings inwhich:

=Figr-1 is -a diagrammatic partial sectio'n'al view"'of 'a pressing' apparatus embodyingrnyinvention and showing the die cavity as initially filled; r -Eig-2 isa fragmentary section showingthe article fully compressed;

Fig; area view similar to Fig. 2' hut show-inghiifinitifil mane-m; A

Fig. 4 snewsarreejeet'ranerrhe article by the-"siege from the die c'avit'y by the single top plunger whileall 6f the plu nger's are maintained in their same fixed relai611; 2,821,748 Fig. 8 is a further View showing a stripping operation APPARATUSFOR f t'he' formed "article by one of the concentric plungers; FLAN'GED ARTICLES BY SINGLE PEUNG Fig. 94's 3 'fra'gmehtary "s'ectiontaken substantially en ACTION trseqine: sst-"Fi .5; {M l r r wifliwamsfowdy W! ii Balirwm 0 a a -r odn icanon incorporating features of Lima-Hamilton Corporatibh, a toipdi'a'tioii'iifleililf mqm t fi Ewan Fig. :11 rsa fuhtherenodrficatron of a die havmge A I a a I H r r 10 iany mowabre' waitpemon for-releasing the edge of ApplieatiomMayfi; 1953,-'Serial-Nor 353,830 jth rfla g 4 I e medi-ficarinn'shown in -Figs; 1 154,1 have ro- Clams 18-16) side a pref'eraeeting are platen -1norma1ly biased upwardly 1}g%\ir'1stj"a" stop by ac0'nstaht :presisi1i'e piston invefitionl'relarefi -p e pparatus-forearm sne eynneer or'islfion s. The die cavity consists-of a s fl articles-from l ma als-s h, f@ %rmember 4*:fixet1 ar 'all times with respect to Platen 1 p g ersy aspowdefd me lr a rid provided 'Witha hore "5 to receive a single lower It-has heretofore beeni proposed to form flanged ant plh ng'er s for compre'sstng the body ofthe article within l p y 'g -2 1 and?! p y 5 e 5. '5 he ppe'r shoulder"? of member 4 forms one ahle 'cohcenti-it 'l'owerplungersdisposd withrheil ends iflgiaeif tifie'iflafiglfif h icl "Thememberzi'and its *atoffset-die levels'with-in'a' die cavity to fothithe flange anrifilar surface 7 could "be formed as an integral part and body. To eject such a' for-med article the top punch '15f. -a rtibn of'tplaten '1 but for the purpose of israisedmid P- g f hen frrnct ion as :drrrereat sizes of articles this member is preferdr'ralejection plungers =hy being=moVed-siinultaneous1y ably made 'ovahle as by bolts '8 secured inplaten fora certain distzinc While in their olfsetrelationand l iindis a a lly adjustable by'screw threads or shims then one of theseplungers i's movedby itself to complete berweerr the pltat'en l andflanges of member 4' thereby ejection of the article. per'foi' m these ejection rnoveto vary'the'depth' o'fthe' article' body. -mri'tsmfthe two -pl'ungers ieq'ir-ires actuating and om- Thetipper' pofiionof'the die cavity is forirred by a trol mechariisms of eonsi'derahle precision of cohstru'cfia'fie ntrolli n gsleevefl of circular form an'd'teletion and operation to insure that the plungers move see ou'lit on the 'o'uter surface-of member l, exactly sirrinltaneoilsly "daring the initial'ejection movethe lower end 'dfthe "sleeve beingpi'ovid'ed with'api'ston ment in orderdo a void ci-acking the flange-of the' articIe 'head- IO m'ovab-Ie 1 a: cylinder 11' "vvhi'ch' is su lied at by introducihg-into the flange either bndi-ng for'c'es' hri'sifs' bpposite 'ends with operating fluid pressure through ing froinsliding frictional 'cofitact with the die wall or passages controlled by three wayyalvesl z and 13. An shearing ferees arising from any relative m'ovementbea ntiula r "bushing- 14 i's 't-hreadetlly secured in thedie platen l to permit insertion of the piston- 10 in its cy-li-nder. NOr-inally'the sleeve is heldin its upper position shown in Hg. '1. The piston 1*0 can be 'sfi'pplenrented by an external piston 15 connected by rod 16 t0 sleeve 9wh'ile a"cyl in'der" 17 issuitably s'upported'on die platen "lt'o fi'oat therewith. lAny number "of suchpistonsand cylinders can be used and *syrnntetritzaliy arran'ged. Operatihg pressure to these c'yl-irrder'swould be'hdriritted through passages controlledby"thre-way*valves l'8' and 19. Of "course the piston and cylinder 15 and 17coul'd 'be used in place of piston 10. 'Tl're'top punch '20 is 'operated by ahy suitable: mechanical (Jr-hydraulic power means-"shownhere'in for purposes of illustration as'a pisi on 'and cylinder 2 1" supplied with operating pressflre throughpassagescontrolled 'bly three=way valves 22 and downward-1y against a' constant pressure cushion 26 which can he of' 'the:hydropireumatic type. Downward movement "of the platen is limited by a vertically adjustable threaded stop 27 The bottom-plunger 6 "may be rnoved upwardly for an egiectihn operation'eithe'r mechanically or hydriir'ilically fliagrhrnmatically illustrated by a =pist0n 'and' cylinder 28 actuated by operating .pressure supplied throng-h apaS'Sa'ge cOntrQI-led by a three=way valve 30 while a 'shurce 'df constant pressure iiray besuppl-i'ed 'uni'form' eompactian of the material from its t0p-atrd bottom plungers. Thereupon the flange control sleeve 9,

as shown in Fig. 3, is moved downwardly by pressure supplied through valve 12 while the punch 20 is preferably first raised from contact with the formed article. The edge surface of the flange 34 of the article is thus stripped of its contact with the cavity wall-forming surface of sleeve 9. Hence, upon complete lifting of punch 20 the single lower actuating plunger 6 can be raised by the piston and cylinder 28 to eject the formed article as shown in Fig. 4 so that the flange is free of any destructive bending or shearing forces during ejection movement within the die by the actuating plunger 6. A stationary core rod 35 will at all times remain with its upper end in the plane of die platen 1 when in its raised position of Fig. l. The lower plunger 6 will be raised to this same plane as shown in Fig. 4 during the ejection operation thereby permitting the article to be readily removed.

In the modification shown in Figs. to 9, a fixed die platen 45 has a die cavity 46 with a top punch and operating mechanism identical to those of the first modification. An outer concentric plunger 47 is provided with a piston 48 operable within a stationary cylinder 49 while an inner plunger 59 is provided with a piston 51 in a stationary cylinder 52. The lower ends of cylinders 49 and 52 are supplied with constant fluid pressure to serve as a cushion. The core rod 53 slides within a bore 54 of inner plunger 50 and is rigidly connected to the outer plunger by a pin 55. This pin extends through a vertical slot 56 formed in the Wall of the inner plunger.

In the operation of Figs. 5 to 9 the inner and outer lower concentric plungers are initially in the positions shown in Fig. 5 and the top punch 5' is raised by power means 21' (similar to 21) to permit the die cavity to be filled whereupon the top punch is moved downwardly to compress the powdered material against the yielding cushioning movement of the outer concentric plunger to the position shown in Fig. 6, the inner plunger 50 preferably being held in its initial position of Fig. 5 during the compression operation. The degree of cushion pressures in cylinders 52 and 49 determines the extent to which their pistons are held before yielding, these pressures being supplied from hydro-pneumatic cushions connected through passages 57 and 58. Notwithstanding that I employ dual concentric lower plungers I still efiect ejection by a single actuating plunger and thus avoid the hazards of dual plunger ejection. This is done by continuing downward movement of the top punch so that it ejects the flanged article from the bottom of the fixed die platen 45 to the position shown in Fig. 7, the cushion pressures in cylinders 49 and 52 being such as to permit the dual bottom plungers to be yieldingly actuated under the actuating ejection movement of top punch 5'. To release the article after its ejection from the die, operating fluid pressure is admitted to the top of cylinder 49 through a pipe 61 to move the outer concentric plunger 47 downwardly together with the core rod 53 by reason of its pin connection 55 until the outer plunger is stripped down over the outside of the body 63 of the article as shown in Fig. 8. It will be noted that at the end of this movement the core rod 53 and the top of inner plunger 50 both lie in the plane of the top surface of stationary platen 60 so that the article can be readily removed. The pin 55 engages the lower end of slot 56 so that the constant pressure in cylinder 52 cannot raise plunger 50 until the operator allows piston 48 to raise. The top plunger 5' is preferably raised during the foregoing stripping action.

During ejection in the modification of Figs. 5 to 9 it will be noted that the actuating ejection movement of plunger 5 causes the lower dual plungers to be actuated thereby and hence the article flange is controlled by being supported from the lower dual plungers so that the flange while within the die is free of bending and shearing forces during the ejection movement.

In Fig. I have utilized a stripping sleeve 65 in combination with the downward ejection arrangement of Figs. 5 to 9. To strip the sleeve from a formed flange in this modification the sleeve is moved upwardly by operating pressure from a suitable source controlled by a valve 66, acting against a constant cushion pressure supplied through a pipe 67 to the upper end of the chamber containing an operating piston 68 of the sleeve 65. The die platen 69 is slightly annularly recessed at 70 so that when sleeve 65 is raised it completely strips the flange, there then being full clearance for the depth of the die to permit the actuating top plunger 5 to move freely the article together with the inner and outer lower concentric punches to eject the article downwardly from the bottom of the die cavity.

In the modification shown in Fig. 11, a radially movable flange controlling sleeve is provided in place of the axially movable sleeve. The member 75 is of U- shape in cross section and cylindrical in plan view, the lower free ends of the U-shaped member being adequately sealed by flexible sealing rings 76. Fluid pressure may be admitted to or discharged from the sleeve interior through a passage 77 connected to a piston and cylinder 78 interposed between the top piston rod 79 and the top punch 80. Upon downward compressing movement of the top piston, pressure is generated by piston and cylinder 78 and thereby moves the inner flexible wall of the sleeve slightly inward to a flange forming position and upon raising the top piston the reduction of pressure in cylinder 78 will allow the resilience of the sleeve to contract away from the flange to free the same for ejection purposes. The compressing and ejection functions of the various plungers are otherwise the same as in the other modifications having similar plungers.

From the foregoing disclosure of the several modifications it is seen that I have provided very effective means whereby flanged articles may be ejected by movement of a single actuating plunger without introducing any destructive bending or shearing forces in the flange. This desirable single plunger operation is obtained even where, as in certain of the modifications, I employ the dual bottom plungers. In this case, movements of the plungers are of an actuated nature, instead of actuating, by reason of being subordinated to the initiating movement of the single top plunger. In the various modifications I am also able to obtain a compacting action at both ends of the article body thereby to produce a uniform density in the body. Even with compaction at opposite ends of the body I effectively eject the article from either the top or bottom of the die cavity by a single plunger action while at the same time controlling the flange so that it is free from damaging forces. This single plunger ejection operation completely eliminates the need of multiple ejection cams or other multiple power motors which have heretofore been required for sequentially effecting simultaneous and relative movements of dual plungers when they are used as actuating plungers for the ejection operation.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes in construction and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pressing apparatus for forming from powdered material an article having a body and a flange comprising, in combination, a die platen having an axially extending die cavity, having two portions of different diameter joined by a stationary lateral shoulder against which the flange of the article is to be formed, a plunger extending into the smaller diameter portion of the cavity from the end thereof remote from said shoulder to compress one end of the article body, a plunger receivable in the larger diameter end of the die cavity in opposed relation to said shoulder to compress the entire flange against said shoulder and to compress the other end of the body, means for effecting an axial stripping movement relatively between the die and flange while the underside of the flange is supported by said shoulder until the flange is free within the die cavity thereby preventing the possibility of any bending or shearing forces being induced in the flange during subsequent ejection of the article, and means for ejecting the formed article from the die cavity by moving said plunger which is inthe smaller diameter portion of the cavity as an actuating ejection element.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that the flange stripping means comprises an axially movable sleeve which forms the wall against which the edge of the flange is formed, and means for axially moving said sleeve to strip it from the formed flange while the flange is supported on the shoulder.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that the means forming the shoulder has a cylindrical outer surface, and the flange stripping means comprises a sleeve telescopically movable over said cylin- 'drical surface so that the sleeve is stripped from the formed flange while the flange is supported on said shoulder whereupon movement of the actuating ejection plunger moves the formed article out of the die cavity with the flange entirely free of any friction at its edge.

4. A pressing apparatus for forming from powdered material an article having a body and a flange comprising, in combination, a die platen having an axial bore therein, an axially movable sleeve disposed within said bore to define the peripheral flange wall of the die cavity, means forming a shoulder integrally connected to the die platen and extending inwardly from said sleeve to support the fJI .underside of the flange, said shoulder forming means having an axial bore to form the article body, anejection plunger disposed within said body bore, a plunger extending into the sleeve to compress powdered material therein in opposition to the other plunger, and means for ejecting the formed article from the die cavity by moving the annular member until it is axially free of the flange and then ejecting the article from the body bore by the ejection plunger.

References-Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

